Leaving the Valley of the Shadow of Death, Christian comes to a small hill (refer to TCA 1A), where he sees Faithful ahead of him in the distance. Calling to him, he tries to get Faithful to stop and wait for him. However, Faithful is by now wise enough to be suspicious of strangers, even those who appear to be friends. Sadly, the more mature a Christian is, the more he seems to suspect and “try the spirits.” He has met too many insincere and fraudulent Christians.

At last, however, Christian overtakes Faithful, but in his haste, he decides to upstage Faithful and actually runs ahead of him. Perhaps he thinks, So, he thinks he’s too spiritual to wait for me. I’ll just pass him and watch his surprise!
Note the following points.
1. Christian misjudged Faithful’s actual reasons for not waiting on him.
2. Christian’s real problem was pride.
3. Christian’s pride led to his humiliation. (In running ahead, he fell and could not rise, and Faithful had to help him up.)
So it often is in our lives.
• We misjudge people’s reactions and then we react according to our misjudgment.
• Pride is really behind our reaction, and we try to “put them in their place” or “really tell them off.”
• We are embarrassed when we later realize that we have made a fool of ourselves and the very people whom we sought to embarrass rescue us.

Faithful’s experiences at each point along the way are totally different from those of Christian, again emphasizing the fact that no two people have the same experiences in life. Thus, God’s Word confirms, “There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God who works all in all" (1 Cor. 12:6).

Faithful and Christian then walk together and share their experiences on the journey. Faithful reveals that his experiences along the way were quite different from those of Christian. He stayed in the city of Destruction for some time after Christian left, and he saw Pliable after he returned from the Slough of Despond. Leaving the city of Destruction (in part as a result of Christian’s testimony), he met with the adulterous Wanton, the sly Adam the First and his three daughters, and a character named Shame. In this lesson, we will examine the immoral Wanton.

Wanton
The word wanton means “without discipline” and generally applies to unrestrained and undisciplined sensuality. A wanton act is any lustful act. The word occurs five times in the Bible. Note that Faithful explains that he was offered those promises that were “all carnal and fleshly.”
The Bible uses several words that mean the same thing as wanton. One such word is incontinent.II Timothy 3:3 mentions it as one of the signs of the last days. Incontinent means “lacking self–restraint” and again applies to sexual sins. It is found only twice in the Bible, here and in 1 Corinthians 7:5

Another such word is lasciviousness, which also means “wanton.” Galatians 5:19 lists this word with other sexual sins, including adultery, fornication, and uncleanness. It means “lack of restraint in dealings with the opposite sex.” This word occurs six times in the New Testament, and from these instances we learn the following facts.
• It comes from a filthy heart Mark 7:21–22
• It must be repented of 2 Cor. 12:21
• It is the fruit of the flesh Galatians 5:19
• It is characteristic of the unsaved man Eph. 4:17–19
• It is contrary to the will of God, being wrought as the “will of the Gentiles” 1 Peter 4:2–3
• It is contrary to the grace of God Jude 4
The Bible condemns wantonness and clearly states that it should have no place in a Christian’s life. But what sort of sexual sins are inferred by the word wanton? As you can see, the word does not mean “adultery.” Yet, it is in the same category as adultery. Wanton is a broad word that covers any lack of restraint in male–female relationships. Let’s apply the word to impurity in teenagers’ lives.Living Pure Lives in an Impure World
It has always been difficult for Christian teens to maintain their sexual purity, but it is especially difficult today. Previous generations faced a culture that considered sex before marriage taboo. Now the whole culture encourages it. TV, movies, songs, and magazines target teens and promote immorality. (It might be good for you to give some current examples of songs, movies, etc. that promote immorality.)
How can we flee from 2 Tim. 2:22 the temptation? How can we live purely in an impure world?Don’t Make Opportunities for Fleshly SinsRomans 13:12–14 teaches this truth. (Read this passage aloud.)
A Christian is to cast off the works of darkness (v. 12). What are these works? Wantonness is one of them (v. 13). It is listed along with rioting, drunkenness, chambering (i.e., going to bed with each other), strife, and envy. These sins result from a lack of self–control, and God considers them to be dishonest (note “let us walk honestly”).
Q: Why are these sins dishonest? (Discuss)

A: They are dishonest because they are practiced in hidden situations and settings by those who try to appear spiritual the rest of the time (i.e., in public).
Verse 14 tells us to “make not provision for the flesh,” that is, we are to flee from those situations that will arouse the biological drives and the lusts of the flesh.
Other verses state the same thought. See 2 Timothy 2:22 and 1 Thessalonians 5:22.
To make provision for the flesh is deliberately to place oneself in a position that can lead to compromise and sin. The Greek word for provision found in this verse means “forethought.”
Q: Why do young people want to commit immorality? (Discuss)
A: To satisfy the unrestrained desires of the flesh. It is a planned sin.Don’t Defraud Others
Q: Why would a teen boy and girl want to caress each other, kiss, etc.?
A: You may answer, “That’s just what everybody does.” The real answer, however, is much deeper. It feels good. That’s the bottom line. Therefore, we see that it falls into the category of wantonness because it makes provision for the arousal of the fleshly desires.I Thessalonians 4:6 addresses this issue. The primary interpretation of this verse, of course, is in the area of honesty in business. At the same time, however, the principle may be applied to the subject at hand because the context (both the verses before it and those after it) deals exclusively with holiness in the matter of sexual relations. Note the following phrases:
• To go beyond means “to overstep the bounds” or “to go too far.”
• Defraud means “to stir up or arouse.”
Thus, the verse applies to any practice that arouses sexual desires. It is wrong to arouse desires in another person that you cannot righteously fulfill. It is wrong to go beyond the biblical guidelines for a relationship. When you do that, you are defrauding them.
Biblically, sex is reserved for marriage. That’s very clear in Scripture. However, we need to go beyond that and say that all forms of foreplay (fondling, caressing, etc.) are acceptable only within the bounds of marriage and should be reserved for that time, place, and special person. What is appropriate for a married couple is not appropriate for a boyfriend and girlfriend.Conclusion
Challenge the students to purity and vigilance.
Satan will do everything in his power to devour Christian young people when their guards are down, when they are spiritually and morally immature, and when their bodies’ hormonal activities are at their height. It is imperative that we never place ourselves in a compromising position where Satan can gain an advantage over us. Remember: Satan is as a roaring lion that is stalking his prey—whomever he can devour.

Q: Have you given him reason to roar?
Conclude this lesson by reading1 Peter 2:11, which encourages us to purity.

student work

Leaving the Valley of the Shadow of Death, Christian comes to a small hill, where he spies Faithful ahead of him.

• Faithful’s experiences at each point along the way are totally different from those of Christian, again emphasizing the fact that no two people have the same experiences in life. Thus, God’s Word confirms, “There are diversities of operations, but it is _the same God who works all in all_ (1 Cor. 12:6).”

Little Hill

• Why is the little hill put in the way? _so that the pilgrims can see ahead of them on the way_

Note especially the words on purpose. God is a God of purpose. Nothing ever happens—either for good or ill—accidentally. Many things happen for our harm because of our own blundering and foolishness, but all that happens does so for our ultimate good.
(See Rom. 8:28.)

• What does James 1:17 say about this issue? every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nei-ther shadow of turning.

The little hill, or rise in the road, represents any time of revival or special closeness to the Lord. It might be a particular week or month when you just seem closer to the Lord than usual. His Word is a little more precious to you, prayer is a little fresher, souls are a little more valuable, and preaching seems to warm your heart more. How long has it been since your last “little hill”?

Vainglory and Its Results

• Seeing Faithful, Christian hurries forward and soon not only overtakes him but also passes him. What does Christian immediately do when he overtakes Faithful? _He smiles proudly

However, what results from this moment of pride? _He stumbles and falls

What Vainglory Is

• What is the dictionary definition of vainglory? _an extreme pride in oneself; boastful vanity

The vainglorious smile that plays on Christian’s lips indicates that the carnal nature is still working in him.

The Result of Vainglory

• What does Proverbs 16:18 tell us follows vainglory? _destruction; a fall

Note how quickly Christian’s fall follows his ascent up the little hill. Revival is followed by the temptation to pride, and soon thereafter we find ourselves flat on our face.

• The word vainglory is found once in the Bible
(Phil. 2:3) and means “empty glorying” (i.e., being proud of worthless or foolish things). Of what worthless things are you proud? _showing someone up, chewing someone out when they deserve it, boasting in nothing

The best definition of faithful is “full of faith.” Our modern definition has more the idea of dependability than of faith, but faith is what makes a person faithful and dependable in the first place. You will see that Faithful is named appropriately.

His Tenacious Faith

We see his faith even before he leaves the city of Destruction. Not only does he believe in the coming judgment on the city, but also he firmly believes it. Here we see the tenacity of faith. Real faith holds on firmly when everyone else deserts. Real faith will stand alone while the rest of the crowd mocks and jeers. Do you have firm faith?

• What former companion of Christian did not have tenacious faith? _Pliable

• Why was it seven times worse for him when he returned than if he had never started the journey at all? _The people of the city of Destruction greatly derided and berated him and mocked and despised him, and he couldn’t get anyone to hire him for work.

• Why did they mock him? After all, didn’t they, too, hate the way that he forsook? _They said that he was a turncoat, a traitor, and untrue to his profession

Lesson: Faith that is not tenacious brings more shame than glory to both God and the faithless Christian.

His Loyal Faith

True faith is loyal to that in which the faith is placed. If a coach has faith in a basketball player’s ability, he will stick by him even when he misses a few shots. We call this loyalty.

A Christian shows loyalty by his faithfulness in devotions when others are unfaith-ful, by his loyalty to his church and school leaders even when others criticize them, and (most importantly) by his loyalty to God when Satan tempts him to fornication.

1. Her CharacterWanton means “undisciplined” and applies especially to a lack of discipline in sexual relations. Those who are more apt to fall prey to this woman are those who lack (among other things) personal self–discipline.

2. Her History

• Wanton is as old as history. What Old Testament
(Gen. 19:11–13) man did she try unsuccessfully to beguile? _Joseph_ How did he escape her? _He fled right out of his coat_

3. Her Ways

• She uses _flattery_. All humans are subject to flattery. A young girl entices a young man by boasting of his muscularity or his lovemaking ability. Similarly, many young ladies have been ruined because of the flattery of a young man. His declaration that “I love you and want you” causes her heart to melt and her emotions to run high.

• She also uses promises. What does she promise? _carnal and fleshly contentment_

Yet, these promises are all lies. Her promises do not include the promise of the contentment of a good conscience. Those who lose their loyalty to God through immorality wake up with a wounded, dirty conscience that will haunt them.

Memory Verse # 13 from Pilgrim's Progress lesson ch 13

1. Write a two–page paper describing the characteristics and benefits of Christian friendship. In your paper, explain the meaning of and apply the statement “Faithful are the wounds of a friend”
(Prov. 27:6).

2. Study Ecclesiastes 4:9–10. Explain the significance of this passage to the topic of Christian companionship.

3. Read and report on Jack Wyrtzen’s booklet Sex and the Bible. Include in your report the Christian philosophy of sexuality and what should be a Christian teenager’s attitude and conduct in this regard.

Quiz—Lesson 13
Christian Meets Faithful
Name____________________________________________ Date ______________ Score_________
True–False
Circle the T or the F to indicate your answer.
T F 1. Faithful stopped and waited for Christian once Christian called to him.
T F 2. Faithful’s experiences along the way closely resembled those of Christian.
T F 3. Christian’s pride causes him to stumble after he passes Faithful.
Multiple Choice
Choose the best answer to complete each of the following statements.
4. The main weapon that Wanton uses against pilgrims is
A. Flattery
B. Pride
C. Poverty
D. Hatred
E. Envy
5. She also uses promises, but her promises do not include the promise of a
A. Good time
B. Fleshly contentment
C. Good conscience
6. Ultimately, Wanton leads those who follow her to
A. Fun and success
B. Death
C. Promotion
D. Recognition
7. The term wanton means
A. Desire
B. Lacking
C. With pleasure
D. Without discipline

Short Answer
8. Give one of the other two terms that the Bible uses to refer to wantonness.
____________________
9. Believers are to avoid doing anything that will make __________________________________ for the flesh to sin.
10. God’s standard for believers in the area of sexuality is holiness and ______________________.
Essay
11–15. List and explain the two steps from the lesson for how you can live purely in an impure world.

Lesson Objectives:
1. To define, describe, and warn the students against wantonness

2. To warn the students of the true nature and dangerous consequences of making provision for the flesh and defrauding others